Committee: Keep the Jones design; act quickly

An ad-hoc committee favors simpler, less-costly designs for improving Hot Springs Village’s east and west gates.

The ad-hoc gates committee listened to input and decided to create new plans for updating the gates, Harv Shelton told the Property Owners’ Association board of directors last Wednesday.

Shelton, a board director who chairs the committee, said little public support was found for any of the four proposals developed by Crist Engineers Inc. and Mesa Landscape Architects. The designs were too expensive and not compatible with the Village’s traditional look, he said.

Shelton summarized the proposals:

1. Develop an engineering design for the west gate.

2. Conduct a boundary survey for the east gate.

3. Hold a public forum before the board’s Aug. 7 work session.

4. Develop an east-gate plan.

5. Negotiate with Village developer Cooper Communities Inc. for the required east-gate land.

The committee favors reconstructing the Fay Jones fountain at the west gate. Much of the work needed at the west gate comes from decades of neglect to the fountain and three ponds. "The only good news is the rock walls associated with the ponds appear to be sound," he said.

Committee member Bill Roe said the work should be done as soon as possible. "This is an emergency," he said. "It is essentially deferred maintenance."

Shelton emphasized the need for quick action. "Unless you think an algae pond would be an attractive entrance to our Village, because that’s what we’re fixing to have this summer," he said.

Recommended work includes new pond liners, pumps, LED lighting and expanding the existing waterfall, Roe said.

The committee hopes to landscape with flowering trees.

Gary Weeter discussed the legacy of architect Fay Jones, who designed the original west gate fountain and the Desoto Club Events Center.

Weeter praised Village developer John Cooper Sr. as a visionary who sought out Jones’ unique talents.

"The committee does not feel we can ignore the legacy we have been given," he said. "It has served as the identity and symbol of Hot Springs Village since its inception."

One Crist-Mesa plan included a replica of the Jones tower, but without running water.

Shelton said running water is an essential design element. "Without water, it’s a glorified bird perch," he said.

Jones received the American Institute of Architects’ gold award in 1990, one of 70 American and international architects bestowed with the honor since it was created in 1907. In 2000, the AIA named Jones "one of the 10 most influential architects of the 20th Century."

Jones was the first dean of the University of Arkansas’ School of Architecture, and it was named in his honor after his death.

The east-gate plans include widening Desoto Boulevard to four lanes at its intersection with Highway 5, and an additional through-lane at the guard station, said Al Edmonson. In the initial phase, the four lanes from the highway would narrow to two lanes by the La Plaza commercial district.

Ironically, two-lane Desoto has a 150-foot right-of-way through the Village, but it narrows to an unknown amount — perhaps 70 feet — at the east gate. "We feel that nothing less than 150-foot is appropriate. We don’t know the exact right-of-way or exact ownership," he said. "We need a boundary survey, and we need it now." Cost is estimated at $3,000 or less.

It’s vital to obtain the right-of-way now, before the land is developed, Edmonson said. "You need that right-of-way to assure our future," he said.

A median would feature native stones and could have re-circulating water features on the sides. Cooper owns the existing irrigation system, and the POA needs to develop its own, he said.

"This is like the foyer entry into a very-large house," he said. "It needs to make a very positive and very welcoming impression. You want visitors to get excited about what’s to come."

A town-hall meeting on gates will be set, and the committee will deliver an updated report to the board on Aug. 7.

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